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USA Today has Twitter account hacked by Script Kiddies

The Twitter account for USA Today was hacked this weekend by new hacking group the Script Kiddies. A security professional said in a blog post that Twitter should increase its internet security to help avoid future occurrences of hackings such as these.

According to news sources, the same hacking group claimed responsibility for the hacking of NBC News' Twitter account on the anniversary of September 11's terrorist attacks to claim Ground Zero was attacked. This time around, the group used USA Today's Twitter account to promote the group's Facebook fan page.

Graham Cluley, a security expect, said its possible that the new USA Today hack involved a spyware Trojan virus, much like the NBC hack did. Tech Crunch said NBC's director of social media received a Trojan virus previous to the NBC account hacking. Cluley said in a blog post that social media may need to step up the defense of its users.

"I, for one, would like to see Twitter and other social media sites offer an additional level of authentication for those who want to better defend their accounts," Cluley said. "I fear that, unless that happens, we will continue to see high-profile accounts hacked and brands damaged as hackers run rings around them."